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This Thai chicken salad with peanut dressing is so fresh, bright, and easy to make! It’s a great way to use leftover or rotisserie chicken, and it’s on your table in just 20 minutes.
Love cabbage? Try my Best Coleslaw or Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl next.
Why you’ll love it
If you enjoy Thai food as much as I do, you’ll devour this Thai-inspired chicken salad. The peanut, lime, and ginger dressing is incredible. Pair it with crunchy cabbage, veggies, and fresh herbs, and you have one flavor-packed salad! I like to eat it year-round since it has ingredients available all the time.
Even picky eaters will enjoy it. This simple Thai salad will be a hit with your entire family. I like to consider it a salad for people who don’t really like salad. It’s that good. It’s also packed with so much good stuff that it’s filling enough to eat as a meal on its own.
What you’ll need
For the salad
- Coleslaw – I use a bagged coleslaw mix
- Chicken – use leftover Shredded Cooked Chicken or rotisserie chicken
- Scallions – they’ve got a fairly mild taste, but use red onion if you prefer
- Red bell pepper – to add crunch and color
- Cilantro and basil – I strongly recommend adding both these fresh herbs. They complement the dressing so well. If you can’t eat cilantro, sub for Italian parsley. Mint works too!
- Peanuts – chopped peanuts top it all off
For the dressing
- Peanut butter – I used a smooth creamy variety. I don’t recommend natural peanut butter for this recipe.
- Soy sauce, lime juice, honey – this trio makes up the wonderful savory-tangy-sweet flavor combination!
- Toasted sesame oil – it has a distinct flavor and is used in many Asian recipes. Don’t confuse it with the regular kind.
- Garlic powder – for another savory layer. Use fresh minced garlic instead if you like.
- Fresh ginger – it adds a punch of bold flavor
- Water – depending on the brand of peanut butter and how thick you like the dressing, you may have to add more than suggested to thin out the dressing
Pro tips and troubleshooting
- We’re using the toasted variety of sesame oil that’s darker in color and can be found in the Asian foods aisle along with soy sauce. Regular sesame oil has a lighter color and is often found with other cooking oils like olive oil, so don’t get that one.
- If you store your peanut butter in the fridge, make sure to let it warm up on the counter for a little before making the dressing so it’s not cold and hard and mixes properly. You can also add more water to thin it out to desired consistency.
How to make Thai chicken salad
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Add all the dressing ingredients to a bowl, and whisk until combined. Make sure to test it and adjust as necessary (more lime juice, honey, water, etc.) Prep all the salad ingredients, and place them in a large bowl.
Top the salad with the homemade peanut dressing, season with salt & pepper, and serve immediately.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- A sharp, quality chef’s knife makes the chopping and prep work a breeze.
- This is the glass prep bowl pictured, and it’s easy to toss with kitchen tongs.
- I use one of my favorite kitchen tools to grate the ginger, my Microplane zester/grater. It’s so much easier to grate when it’s frozen! Just store ginger in a ZipLoc freezer bag so you always have some handy.
Substitutions and variations
- If you don’t want to buy pre-bagged coleslaw mix, you can cut up/shred your own cabbage and carrots.
- Cucumber would be a great addition to this salad! I’d cut it up in fairly small cubes. I’ve also seen people add papaya.
- Want to make this a spicy Thai chicken salad? Try adding some crushed red pepper flakes, cut-up fresh Thai chilis, or some sriracha sauce to the dressing. A little heat would be fantastic here.
What to serve with this salad
- This is quite a large salad. It serves four as an main dish on its own no problem, but you could easily feed up to six people depending on how much they eat or if you serve it with something else. Serve with a dinner roll or crusty bread, and you’re good.
- If you want a riff on soup and salad, pair it with this light 15 Minute Thai Green Curry Soup.
Leftovers and storage
- This salad does work for leftovers for a day or so just fine, but it may get a bit less crisp. Just store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
- Keep in mind leftovers aren’t quite as good as when freshly made, so you could certainly halve all the ingredients if you don’t want anything left over.
- Or you could store the dressing in a jar in the fridge for up to a week and use when you’re ready!
More Thai-inspired recipes
Questions? Leave me a comment below! I’d love if you left a star rating and review. As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram so I can see your creations.
Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 pound coleslaw mix
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1/4 cup scallions chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
- Small handful fresh cilantro chopped (optional but recommended)
- Small handful fresh basil sliced thin or torn (optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Dressing:
- 5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter see note
- 3 tablespoons water or more as needed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon pure sesame oil see note
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Add the dressing ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together until smooth. Taste and adjust (e.g. add more lime juice or honey). If your dressing comes out really thick (peanut butter brands can vary), add even more water than suggested.
- Prep all the salad ingredients and them add to a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and serve immediately. Season with salt & pepper as needed.
Notes
- I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter for this recipe as the flavors and texture can be a bit off. I would use it sparingly and then taste and adjust the dressing as needed.
- I use the sesame oil found in the Asian section of the grocery store. It’s got quite a strong/nutty flavor. It’s darker in color and sometimes you’ll find it labeled as toasted sesame oil. I just buy whichever brand is in stock.
- You don’t need to add the cilantro or basil, but they definitely add extra flavor and freshness.
- Helpful hint: It’s much easier to grate ginger when it’s frozen. I always keep some fresh ginger in my freezer for when I need it. It also helps reduce waste (I always seem to waste fresh ginger when I don’t use it in time!).
- Serves 4-6. You may want to halve it if you don’t want leftovers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on June 16, 2017. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
I make this salad as a meal prep for lunches at work all the time! I’m sure you’re familiar with the trick of putting the dressing at the bottom of a mason jar and then mixing right before eating. It works out great for this too! So flavorful! This does not require a lot of dressing so I’m not sure why others said different. Oh well, to each their own!
Thanks, Gina!!
I thought this was good. However you need 1.5 to 2 times the sauce. It also holds up well for 2nd day. I added diced cucumber. Crunchy veggies of any kind should work. Also extra peanuts.
Good flavors, but that amount of dressing is not enough for the salad. I ended up making a second batch so that everyone had enough.
Great recipe with wonderful ingredients. Doesn’t take long at all to assemble and tastes great. Loved the fresh basil….truly makes it taste Thai, along with the delicious dressing!
Thank you!